Top Lake Como Private Sightseeing Tours - page 6

My wife and I booked a private boat tour on Lake Como during our honeymoon, and it ended up being one of the highlights of our entire trip. Our guide, Pier, was phenomenal from start to finish. A few days before the tour, he proactively reached out because he had been closely monitoring the weather. He suggested moving our departure to 10 AM to avoid potential rain and enjoy calmer water—and he was absolutely right. It ended up raining during our original time slot, something the weather apps didn’t even predict. That small adjustment made a huge difference and really set the tone for how thoughtful and attentive he was. We departed from Bellagio, and Pier guided us through the stunning villas around the central part of the lake. Being a Bellagio native, he brought everything to life with personal stories—sharing insights about the villa owners and his own family’s history in the area. It made the experience feel authentic and special, not just a standard tour. He also surprised us with snacks from a local bakery and a bottle of Italian Prosecco, which was a perfect touch. Enjoying that while taking in the views made the whole experience feel even more memorable and relaxed. At the end of the tour, he even offered to drop us off near the gardens in Bellagio so we could continue exploring without backtracking—another thoughtful gesture that we really appreciated. I can’t recommend this experience enough. If you’re visiting Lake Como, this is absolutely worth it.

I’m giving 5 stars because the orchestrator, the man who met us at the dock but I’m sorry I forgot your name, and driver Daniel, were fantastic. You were both warm and welcoming and it was wonderful meeting you. It was both fun and educational. If people see the five stars and move on. That’s great. But to those who read through all the way. The experience didn’t end there. As I sad, we had a great time and wanted to leave a tip. As we did so we noticed a gentleman in a sports coat come over and linger, starting to chat to some of the others. My wife and I assumed he was the owner. At the same time we said we would like to leave a €30. Now this trip was over $800 for 2 hours. I don’t know how he set their prices but it seamed a bit arbitrary and really couldn’t find a rational to it besides the time allotted. Even though there was another 2 hour trip that he priced at over $1,000. So a €30 for two hours, I thought was just fine. Besides, no where does it say tipping is appropriated and no one mentioned it. Which of course is classy. But we wanted to leave one anyway. After all Daniel is studying to be a Doctor and I’m sure could use the extra money. But I digress. As we were tipping the gentleman. We hear from the man in the sports coat scoff and say “Not even worth it.” My goodness. What a childish thing to say. And doing it out loud in front of us. Assuming we wouldn’t hear or more likely, that we wouldn’t understand because we are American. Such a shame to end a lovely experience that way. And not the way one should be conducting business. I hope you take this to heart and change your attitude. If you don’t think we paid enough, then raise your prices. Don’t expect us to supplement your income by tipping. Especially considering the culture of tipping in Italy. It also brings into question who exactly is receiving the tip. If I knew the tip was going to the owner and not the people working the tour. I would most certainly have taken out cash before hand and made sure to give it directly to the driver. But of course, I don’t know exactly how they split the tips. However, the owner should never take tips regardless.Those are for the workers alone. On a final note. It was a little difficult to hear the lovely descriptions and history lessons that were given. Perhaps you should invest in a small portable speaker so that the people in the back don’t have to strain to hear the tour guide. Just a little note to help you improve.

Plenty of walking but not exhausting, our guide gave us plenty of breaks. She was very informative, knew all the historical knowledge and stories, kept us interested throughout the day. She got us the best seats on the boats, no waiting in line, straight to the head of the Q. We were able to wonder off on our own but still hear the commentary through the radios. Worth every penny (Euro), we would not have had the same experience without her :)